Neighbors With No Doors

This is the final episode of Season 1 of the Neighbors With No Doors podcast. In this case, there is no guest. I take the time to walk through my new book and share some background on what I set out to create and why. I hope you found this podcast illuminating and inspiring. I haven't decided yet if I will pursue a second season, so if you feel strongly one way or another, I'd love to hear from you. You can send me an email at josiah@cityrelief.org or you can DM me on Instagram, @josiah_haken, or Twitter, @josiahhaken. Until next time!

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking to Kevin Nye, the author of a brand new book called, Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call To End Homelessness. We talk about Kevin's work with the unhoused community and how a Christian faith that ignores the poor misses the point. 

Greg Paul is the author of several books like God In The Alley and The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, and he has worked as a homeless advocate and direct service provider for many years in one of the most desirable cities in North America: Toronto, Canada. In this episode we discuss the failure of our elected leaders to prioritize the most vulnerable and how Jesus calls us to walk with and not just give to the financially disadvantaged people all around us. 

In this episode I have the pleasure of talking to the founder and executive director of the advocacy organization Human.nyc. Josh has been advocating for the unhoused community in New York City for years and is one of the “go to” voices on issues of homeless policy. Josh has been quoted in almost every major newspaper in New York City and continues to give voice to those who are too often silenced and ignored.

In this episode, I have the privilege of interviewing David Velasquez to discuss how health issues and healthcare access impact the unhoused community and what we can do about it. David is from Los Angeles, California and currently a 4th-year medical student at Harvard who also studies business and policy. His work focuses on health care delivery and equity, paying particular attention to its relationship with low-income, marginalized communities. 

Johanna started serving in the streets of New York City as an intern with City Relief in 2001. Soon after she joined our staff and worked as an Outreach Leader and eventually became the NYC Outreach Director. A few years later she moved back to Helsinki, Finland after an unforgettable wedding ceremony on the streets of Harlem. When she moved home to Helsinki with her husband she founded her own mobile outreach program in partnership with her church and has been working there ever since. In this episode, Johanna shares stories from the street and about the similarities and differences of homelessness in New York City and Helsinki.

In this crossover podcast with The Nonprofit Podcast, Cara Augspurger interviews Josiah Haken (me) about his journey from kitchen salesman, to Starbucks barista, to outreach worker, to CEO. We discuss the root causes of homelessness and the impact of holistic engagement and care coordination.    Who is Cara Augspurger?   A long-time development professional, Cara currently serves as Fundraising Coach for fundraising software platform, Donorbox, and focuses on fundraising consulting with nonprofits of all sizes, specializing in project management and fundraising strategy. Her expertise is in coaching, annual fundraising, project management, and communications. She has both a BS and Ed.M. from the University of Illinois, with specialized study of adult learning. She also earned her Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) and Project Management Professional (PMP) credentials. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is actively involved with organizations focused on providing relief from homelessness and food insecurity in Indianapolis and New York City.   Link: The Nonprofit Podcast https://thenonprofitpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Let's talk about homelessness and racism. As a white man, I can never fully grasp the impact of centuries of slavery, oppression, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, the war on drugs, etc… but I can easily see that African Americans make up about 14% of the general population and around 40% of the homeless population. We cannot talk about homelessness without facing systemic racism head on. In this episode Shams DaBaron, aka “Da Homeless Hero” shares his origin story and how experiencing homelessness led him to finding his voice as an advocate for the unhoused.

Detra Thomas went from a suburban pastor's wife in Arkansas to a homeless barista in New York City in just a few short months. In this episode we talk about what led to her entering a homeless shelter for the first time ever, what sustained her through it all and how she managed to rebuild her life. I promise you don't want to miss this!

Josiah and Shane Claiborne